Businesses, schools collaborate on new education, jobs initiative

EAST GREENBUSH -- A partnership is forming between schools and businesses in an initiative known as the Tech Valley Connection for Education and Jobs.

A kickoff event for the program's third anniversary was held at Tech Valley High School on Tuesday with teachers, students, businesses, and representatives from other agencies in attendance.

Connections with the initiative so far include 20 regional chambers of commerce, 111 school districts with 345 schools and dozens of businesses, said Mike Russo, director of government relations and education initiatives at Global Foundries.

"All of the work people are doing, no one was connecting it," said Russo, noting that the idea for the "large-scale regional laboratory" came from a recommendation by the federal administration. "This is not just about Global Foundries. This is mainly about the area's small businesses too and closing the skills gap because connecting the dots is important."

Dozens of people toured Tech Valley High School to get a sense of the programs offered at the school, one of the partners in the Tech Valley Connection program. Like the unique high school, the Connection focuses on hands-on learning, critical thinking, and practical skills, he said.

Global Foundries began working with the Center for Economic Growth, New York State and other regional partners to survey more than 100 school districts on existing programs, desired new programs and the roadblocks to achieving results. This research lead to the development of this new 13-county joint initiative to help facilitate, coordinate, and communicate best practices between K-12 and higher education institutions in this region, officials said.

The school's principal, Dan Liebert, described how the school - now located at the UAlbany East Campus but with plans to re-locate to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering - has normal high school items like ads for yearbooks and signs for prom but it also works on integrating the skills of teaching and learning with a hands-on approach.

Lisa DiBella, a teacher at the Duanesburg Central School District, said she's been using similar project-based learning techniques in the year she's been at the school as a 6th grade teacher. She was working on such a project with Tobi Bickweat, who works with the state on finding jobs for youths with disabilities.

"This was a great opportunity," said Bickweat of Nassau.

While they worked on connecting marshmallows in a project, one of the other groups during the tour were asked what they ended up creating in their project - some of which involved mashed strawberries, spaghetti, and looking at DNA. Their joking response: "A mess."